A new threat-FF9 28 years into the Future
by Yeshua
Summary: Its Christmas Time for the ff9 characters! However, the fun doesnt last as a new enemy appears. First chapter is up. Please r/r.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own FF9 although I wish I own Kuja ^.^  
  
A New Threat  
FF9 28 years into the future  
  
This takes place in Gaia 28 years after the defeat of Necron and Trance Kuja (Duh) Kuja survived the Lifa Tree and is currently living in Alexandria Castle with Zidane and Garnet. There's what happened so far:  
  
1 year after: Zidane and Garnet got married and had 2 daughters and a son. Zinnia, Alicia, and Zane.  
  
2 years after: Freya and Sr. Fratly got married and had 2 children. Fei, and Jessie.  
  
13 years after: Vivi and Eiko got together and had 3 sons. Vivi Jr, Nathan, Vivielo.  
  
2 years after Vivi and Eiko's wedding: Fei and Mikoto got married 15 years later and had Katrina, who was part Bermecian and Genome.  
  
This story takes place around Christmas at Alexandria Castle.  
  
Zinnia and Alicia were on two separate ladders, busy with decorations on the trees. Zinnia was 19, and the tallest of the three siblings. She had short chocolate hair that rested on her shoulders and has green eyes and a tail just like her father, Zidane. Alicia was 7 years old, and the youngest of the three siblings. Like Zinnia, she has green eyes and short chocolate hair. Zane was 18 years old, and basically the strongest of the family. He has the same personality of Zidane with a touch of arrogance. Queen Garnet stood a few feet away, admiring it. She was dressed in green and red for the season and her long chocolate hair was cut short to her shoulder again. Kuja watched from the windowsill. Why do they bother decorating the same tree every year, he thought disdainfully. He thought about scowling at them, but didn't. King Zidane and his son, Zane walked into the room. "That looks lovely, Zinnia and Alicia." He said, reaching over to hug and kiss his wife. "Yeah." Alicia yawned. "Hey Kuja." Zidane greeted. "Hello Zidane." Kuja muttered, still looking outside at the slowly falling snow. King Zidane didn't try to get much out of Kuja, at least not now. "Zane, take Alicia to bed." "Ok." Zane muttered and took Alicia upstairs to bed. Zidane and Garnet took Zinnia somewhere, leaving Kuja alone in the decorated Grand Hall.   
  
  
Kuja continued staring, not noticing that Zidane had walked up behind him. "Kuja, what's going on?" he asked slowly. "Someone is near the Lifa Tree..." "How can you tell?" "..." Meanwhile, in Bermecia, Katrina was asking Freya questions. Katrina was 20 years old, with long silver hair, bat-like eyes and a long tail. She was trained in the ways of the Dragon Knights and was usually very patient with people. "Aunt Freya, what is Alexandria like?" "It is a beautiful country. You'll meet King Zidane, Queen Garnet, Alicia, Zinnia, Zane, Kuja and the others." "They wont think I'm strange will they?" "Of course not, Katrina. Now don't worry about it." Freya gave Katrina the Dragon Knight outfit she made for her and took to bed. Tomorrow will be a great day. I can't wait to see everyone. she thought calmly. Meanwhile, in the snowy fog of the Iifa Tree, a cloaked figure made its way up the branches to the crystallized part of the Life Tree. A figure stood there, eyes closed and not moving.   
  
  
The man heard a voice inside his head just then. 'Free me..' It said. "W-Who are you? And how are you speaking in my head?" "I am the ultimate god of Gaia. Release me and I shall reward you." The man casted a dispel spell on the crystal-like barrier, freeing the person. The figure fell to the ground, gasping for breath. The man bent over to see if she was ok. The girl stood up and smiled, her face hidden in the moonlight. Her hair had a shade of purple and silver. She also had feathers in her hair like Kuja. "I should give you your reward now." The girl pointed her finger at the man and fired a Flare Spell, completely frying and killing him. She winced obviously rusty from having not used magic in so long. Kuja, I will get you for this, she thought. Twenty-thousand miles away, Kuja winced.  
  
Author's Note: Eh..  



	2. The Christmas Party

  
Disclaimer: I do not own FF9.  
  
  
The next morning, Alicia woke up bright and early. She ran down the steps into the decorated grand hall. She stopped at the doorway, sensing that someone was in there. Alicia looked around. The Grand Hall was empty. All she saw was the tree and the tables decorated with placecards and empty glasses. However, she couldn't shake off the feeling. Kuja walked down the steps into the Grand Hall. He had gotten very little sleep. He saw Alicia standing there, looking around. "Alicia, what are you doing?" he asked with a slight hint of concern in his voice.   
  
  
Alicia turned around quickly. "Oh…Uncle Kuja.." "What's wrong?" "I feel like someones watching me." Kuja looked around slowly. He could feel it too but he wasn't sure what he should say to Alicia. "Go get Zidane, ok?" "Ok." Alicia nodded and ran up the steps. Vanessa…Kuja thought. Alicia pushed open the doors to her parents room. Queen Garnet woke up instantly. "Alicia, whats wrong?" "Uncle Kuja told me to get you." By then, Zidane had awakened. Meanwhile, in Bermecia, Freya, Sr. Fratly, and Katrina was preparing to head to Lindblum to meet up with the others.   
  
Within minutes, they were inside Lindblum Grand Castle. Eiko and Vivi greeted them at the airship docks with their three sons, Vivi Jr., Nathan, and Vivielo. Meanwhile, in Alexandria Castle, Beatrix, Steiner, and their son, Cyrus were checking the perimeter. Cyrus was 26 and had the looks of his mother and father all mixed together. He had light brown hair and brown eyes which he got from his mother, Beatrix.The Ragnarok was in its sheath on his side, ready to use if there was trouble. He was a knight in training still so he couldn't really fight yet. It was still snowing. However, that didn't stop the others from coming. Inside the castle, Zidane asked a very disturbed Kuja a question. "Kuja, what's wrong? You havnt been acting yourself lately." "She's alive…" Kuja muttered. "Who's alive, Kuja?" "Vanessa…" "Your not telling me much, Kuja. Now spit it out." "Last Christmas I ran into a demon named Vanessa. She's a Genome, much like you and me, only with a soul full of hate. She wants both of us dead and the crystal all to herself. I sealed her at the Iifa Tree, hoping to make sure she never caused havoc again. But someone released her. I thought my spell would last forever…"   
  
"So, who knows where she could be right?" "She would have to rest, but not for long. I doubt she would make it to Alexandria." Zidane nodded. "Well, lets get ready. The others will be here soon. Try not to worry." Kuja nodded slowly and walked up to his room. Meanwhile, the Hilda Guarde 4 entered Alexandria's airship docks. They landed just outside the Castle. Katrina, Vivi Jr., Nathan, and Vivielo looked around in amazement. Alexandria was beautiful. Like Aunt Freya said, Katrina thought. Zane greeted them at the Grand Hall. Kuja was staring out the window again. Zidane walked down the steps, smiled then gave everyone a hug. "Zidane, I havnt seen seen you in forever!" exclaimed Freya. "Well, I realize its been a long time. This is why I got you together."   
  
  
Katrina had moved over to where Kuja was in a short time. Kuja slowly turned around. He didn't mind people around him..but it was a girl. He had to pour on the charm. "I don't believe I have seen you around before." He said, adding a light purr of charm to his voice. "This is my first time being here and seeing everybody." "Oh really." Kuja looked into her face. There was something about her. Something he couldn't put a finger on..yet. "So your part Genome and Bermecian?" "Yeah..why? Is there something wrong?" "No, of course not." Kuja took one of his silvery feathers out of his hair and hand it to Katrina. "Thanks. But what is this for?" "Protection." "Sure…" Katrina looked at Kuja oddly, but didn't say anything else. Meanwhile, outside the castle, The girl waited on the roof. So you thought you could hide Kuja, she thought. The girl shifted her weight and slid down towards the nearest window. They were all happy. After all it was Christmas Eve. Everyone was at the table, joking or either laughing. It made her sick to see so much happiness. A frown played out on the girl's face. She hated them greatly.  
  
Author's Note: Another repost. Kuja knew that something was going to happen so don't think he was trying to get a girl. Just so you know. Anyway, Chapter 3 will be up in a few days.  



	3. The Appearance

Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah you know. I don't own FF9. But if I did, I'd be rich and then I would finally own Kuja! Khehehehehehehehehe! ^.^  
  
  
Alicia was walking up to her room to change when she head a rustling sound. She froze in her tracks. "Zane?" she called out. There was no answer. Alicia opened the door and looked around slowly. Everything seemed normal, so she stepped inside. Zane happened to be walking up the stairs when he heard Alicia scream. He took off running down the hallway. When he got to the doorway, he Alicia being held by a shadowy figure.   
  
"Let her go!' Zane yelled, unsheathing the daggers he had by his side to form The Tower sword. In the Grand Hall, everyone grew silent. They all heard the scream. Queen Garnet grew hysterical. Kuja and Zidane got up at the same time and started towards the stairs. However, they didn't have to go far as Zane was thrown in across the room into a wall by the girl. "Vanessa." Kuja snarled. "Kuja, nice to see you again.." Vanessa greeted sarcastically. "What are you doing here?" Kuja spat. "I'm here to get revenge of course."  
  
  
Kuja wasted no time raising his hand to his forehead concentrating on the Holy Spell he was about to cast. The spell shimmered in his hand when he finally looked back up at Vanessa. He hesitated instantly. Alicia was still in her arms. There was no way he would fire that spell at Vanessa well Alicia in the way. Sure, he wouldn't mind doing it but the fact that it was Zidane's child meant instant death for him. Right now, all he could do was shake his head at Zidane, signaling that he couldn't fire the spell. A cry of "Spear!" was heard as Freya plummeted to the ground in front of Vanessa and took Alicia then bounced back into the air again.   
  
A light colored beam shot out of Kuja's hand, heading in the direction of Vanessa. Vanessa lifted her hand to reflect the beam, but it was way too strong. With a cry of "Ugh..", Vanessa was slammed into the wall at high speed. She flinched slightly, picked herself back up and was surrounded by Steiner, Beatrix, and Cyrus. They conjured up a Anti-Magic barrier around her making it extremely difficult to cast attack magic. She succumbed to the barrier because she wasn't at full strength. Queen Garnet walked up to the barrier. "Take her away, Beatrix." She commanded. "Yes, your highness." They escorted Vanessa downstairs quickly. "Now, Kuja tell me what's going on." Garnet said. "I'll tell you later, Garnet." Zidane quickly interrupted. Garnet nodded and escorted everyone else to the guest rooms. The night was a quiet one. However, Kuja couldn't sleep. His mind refused to rest. He couldn't relax knowing that Vanessa was here in the castle. The door opened. Kuja didn't bother to move from where he was at.   
  
He knew that it was Katrina. "Uh..Garnet told me to bring you some tea." Katrina whispered. "Thank you." Kuja muttered, ignoring the dryness in his voice. "That girl..Vanessa. She was of Genome descendant, right?" "Yeah." "But if Terra was destroyed, how could she.." "I can't understand it either." "Well, what are we going to do?" "I'm not sure." Katrina handed Kuja his cup of tea. Kuja took it and sipped lightly. "Well, I'm going to bed. See ya." "…Bye." Katrina walked out and closed the door behind her quietly. I don't see how she was freed, Kuja thought. I sealed her using the strongest magic I had. And yet, she still broke free. I still don't understand..  
  
Author's Note: In the next chapter things get serious as the Mist reappears and Vanessa brakes free. Kuja meets a unfortunate accident in the next chapter so don't give up on me now!  



	4. The Mist's Reappearance

Disclaimer: I don't own FF9 once again.  
  
  
The next morning was a foggy one. Kuja, Zidane and the rest of the city were a bit apprehensive about it. Zidane stared out the window of the Grand Hall. It has got to be mist, Zidane thought. Worry played out on his face. Garnet noticed this and walked up to him. "Zidane," she said softly. "that couldn't be mist. Could it?" "I don't know. It looks like it though." "But I thought we destroyed the monster how created the mist." "I thought so too." Kuja walked up to Garnet and Zidane.   
  
"I'm not quite sure yet, but I think when Vanessa was released, the mist reappeared." "So your trying to say that Vanessa is behind the mist?" "I guess so." Garnet put her head on Zidane's shoulder. "What are we going to do for Alexandria, Zidane?" she whispered into his ear. "I dunno." He whispered back. Kuja left them alone. Obliviously now was not the time to bother them about something else. For the first time since he was created, he was scared. He knew exactly what Vanessa could do when she was at full energy. He sighed and went outside for a while. The conditions outside were cold and windy. It was still snowing, lightly. However, the fog was so thick that people could barely see in front of their faces. It was serious indeed. Kuja stood out there, obliviously shivering. He didn't care though. The only thing that mattered now was that Vanessa be destroyed. When he came back in, Zidane handed him some presents. He took them moodily.   
  
Kuja would open them later, when his mind could relax. I still don't see how anyone can be so happy when we're housing a lethal powerhungry kamikaze Genome, he thought. This was the last day everyone would be together for a while. Zidane acted cheery as usual, but Kuja could detect a hint of sadness everytime he spoke. They arrived in Lindblum hours later. It was snowing hard by then and visibility was very poor. Traveling was suspended in all areas of Gaia. And it was starting to get worse..  
  
In the dungeon of Alexandria Castle, Vanessa sat in the corner of the Anti-Magic Cell. Her feathers shimmered in the dim light. She snarled to herself. She didn't care about the others getting in the way. They were just targets. She wanted the two Angels of Death dead. Or did she? Vanessa especially wanted Kuja's powers for herself, meaning that she would have to absorb him into her body. (Weird, huh?) Ugh..what fools, Vanessa thought. If only I could escape. Then I would absorb Kuja's powers and use them against Zidane. Oh joy. Beatrix occasionally passed her cell, making notes on her condition. Vanessa noticed how close she usually came to the cell and smiled. It would be time to leave soon. She closed her eyes while her thoughts of revenge carried her to sleep. Kuja leaned against the exit out of Lindblum Castle.   
  
It was much colder than before and the fog/mist was getting thicker. Yet he couldn't help but think about the Genome in Alexandria Dungeon. What happens if she recovers all her energy? He thought. Will Beatrix, Steiner and their son be ok? Kuja shuddered at the thought. He thought about going back to Alexandria, but he couldn't. He would freeze before getting there.  
  
Meanwhile, Zidane was inside taking to the others. "The fog is to heavy to take you home, Freya. And plus our engines will freeze in this extreme cold." "What about you, Zidane? Alexandria needs you." "I guess we'll be ok. Besides Beatrix is there." "Right." Eiko agreed. Garnet yawned tiredly. "Well, since your staying. Let me show you to your rooms." Everyone except for Kuja followed Eiko down the stairs to the ground level. It was snowing harder than ever now. However, Vanessa was enjoying it. She watched the snow fall outside of her window and stood up. Steiner noticed this and came closer to the cell like a fool. Vanessa turned around quickly and reached out for Steiner's neck with one hand. She took her other hand and grabbed the device that deactivated the Anti-Magic Cell. Then she slammed Steiner against the wall, muttering "Stupid fool." Beatrix ran in at that moment, the Save The Queen sword drawn.   
  
Vanessa rose her hand again, eyes glowing red. Beatrix fired Shock just as she casted Flare Star. A explosion occurred, blowing Beatrix, Steiner, and Vanessa away from each other. Vanessa got up brushing off her purple colored top and skirt muttering. She smoothed her head back and walked by the unconscious Steiner and Beatrix, only to run into Cyrus, their son. She snarled loudly at him, causing him to back up slightly. Cyrus backed into the corner, letting Vanessa past. She floated up into the air and flew off in Lindblum's direction. Cyrus ran to his ailing parents quickly. "Mom, Dad! I'm going to give you some elixir ok!" Cyrus reached into his pocket and pulled out two elixirs. He placed one down on the floor and opened the other one. Then he opened his mom's mouth and poured the sweet liquid in, being careful to make sure Beatrix swallowed it ok. Then he did the same for Steiner with the other elixir. "Cyrus, radio Lindblum. We have a serious problem on our hands!"   
  
Cyrus nodded and ran off to the radio room. Katrina sat in the radio room, calmly thinking to herself. She heard a voice come over the system. It sounded frightened. 'Lindblum Grand Castle, this is Alexandria Castle. I repeat. Lindblum Grand Castle, this is Alexandria Castle. Your in grave danger, do you read?' Katrina turned on the intercom. "Uh..This is Alexandria Castle. What kind of danger are we in?" 'The Genome Vanessa had escaped. And she's heading your way.' "Are you serious?" '…Yes.' Katrina quickly got up out of the chair and ran downstairs into the Hall. Kuja was halfway asleep in the windowsill seat he was in. Katrina nudged him gently. "Kuja, we have a problem." "What?" Kuja muttered, still halfway asleep. "Vanessa got out." "WHAT?!" "Beatrix, Steiner, and Cyrus are ok. But Vanessa is on her way in this direction." "Get Zidane awake."   
  
Kuja forced himself to stand up. His body was aching. The little bit of sleep he got helped his energy some. Everyone arrived in the hall 6 minutes later. It was quiet for a while. Then all of a sudden, Vanessa crashed through the skylight, landing on her feet and grinned. This time everyone was ready for her. Freya leaped up into the air, gathering energy for her Spear attack. Katrina pulled out the Dragon's Hair spear and began to cast Cherry Blossom. Garnet put Alicia behind her and took out the Tiger Racket while Zinnia pulled out the Whale Whisker. Zane and Zidane unsheathed their daggers and formed The Tower and Ultima Weapon. Eiko took out the Angel Flute and Vivi and his sons pulled out the Mace of Zeus. Kuja raised his hand and prepared to cast Holy. He fired it rather quickly at Vanessa. But she was ready this time. She waved her hand at it deflecting off in the other direction. Zidane waved to the others, signaling to move back. Kuja's eyes turned red and narrowed for a second. Freya dropped from the sky, spear heading towards Vanessa. Vanessa grabbed her and spun her into the wall quickly. Kuja fired Flare only to completely miss Vanessa. The spell crashed through the upper part of the castle, instantly killing Cid and Hilda in the upper chambers. Eiko gasped as well as Garnet. "Bad shot, eh Kuja?" Vanessa taunted. "…" She took this chance to run up to Kuja and grab him by the neck. Kuja attempted to struggle, but he was too weak to fight. 3 nights of no sleep really wore down on strength.   
  
Eiko casted Holy a split second after the grab. Vanessa released one hand deflected it again. "Insolent fools. You cant save your friend." Kuja felt his what was left of his energy slipping from his body. "Let him go!" Zidane snarled. Then he began to feel energy running through his body. Trance, he thought. Zidane's body turned pinkish red as he jumped into the air yelling, "Grand Lethal!" Vanessa couldn't avoid this one, and neither could Kuja. They were engulfed in flare/fire energy. When the fire disappeared, Kuja wasn't there anymore…  
  
Author's Note: The next chapter will include the sons and daughters of the original characters. And btw Vanessa wanted to fuse with Kuja just so you know.  



	5. The plan to save the world

Disclaimer: I do not own FF9.  
  
  
When the dust cleared, Vanessa was in the air. She looked completely different. Her hair was a shade of purple and red and a whole bunch of feathers was in the front of her hair and in the back. The robe she was wearing, that was partially burned by the Grand Lethal attack, was in tatters. (So she basically looked like Trance Kuja.) Except for the fact that her tail and eyes were purple as well. Vanessa looked at her hands. So this is the power of Trance, she thought. A light smile unfolded on her lips, slightly. Zidane took a moment to realize his mistake. He dropped his sword immediately and fell to his knees. Please tell me I didn't kill my brother, Zidane thought.  
  
Vanessa looked down at the others. She couldn't believe it. All the power she longed for. Here. Now. Running through her veins. She laughed out loud. "Zidane, how helpful you've been." "…No." was Zidane's response. "You helped me get all this power." "Shut up!" "Now..you've made it easier to kill your friends. Say goodbye, Zidane." Vanessa rose her hand, still laughing manically. Katrina looked at everyone else. Weren't they going to help him? She thought. "Come on, aren't you going to help him!!" she screamed out. No one answered. Then she knew. Vanessa froze time. It affected everyone except for Zidane and Katrina. The near direct descendants of Kuja. The feather Kuja gave her hung from one of her earrings, brushed against her face.  
  
"Zidane, get up!" she screamed again. Zidane didn't answer. He was still grieving over Kuja. Katrina rushed over to Zidane while sheathing her Dragon's Hair Spear into the sheathe on her back. She tried to get Zidane to stand while Vanessa was slightly distracted with spell casting. Vanessa pointed her finger at Katrina and Zidane, releasing the Flare spell at them. Katrina knocked Zidane over and covered him, shielding him from the attack. A loud metallic sound of a spell bouncing off a shield made Katrina open her eyes and look up.   
  
"Huh?" Katrina stood up. Everyone was still basically frozen, so how did the shield appear? She thought. Zidane got up and rubbed his head. "What happened?" he asked. "I don't know." Katrina looked up to see if Vanessa was there. She had disappeared. Zidane poked the shield causing it to disappear. The adults were still frozen. Alicia and Zinnia peeked out from behind Freya. "It looks like I'll have to send you guys out." "What? But we cant handle this alone, Zidane. We'll die!" "Listen Katrina. Your parents believe in your abilities and so do I. Now you're the only ones we can depend on right now."  
  
"But…" "No buts. Now everyone come out." Alicia, Zinnia and the others walked out and stood in line. "Alicia, Zinnia. You're the summoners for the group. Here is your jewels." Zidane ordered while handing the stones to Alicia and Zinnia. "Vivi Jr., you're the black mage for the group. Cyrus will be meeting you guys at the Iifa Tree. Katrina you're the secondary leader for the group just in case Zane messes up." Katrina and everyone else nodded. "Now..you'll have to go through Fossil Roo, and through the Mountain Path to get to the Iifa Tree. It is a very long journey but remember, your parents are counting on you." "What about you, Zidane?" "I have to stay here just incase Vanessa decides to attack again." Katrina nodded and turned to face Zane. "Oh by the way, here's the world map." Zidane handed it to them and went upstairs to radio Alexandria Castle. Zane glanced at everyone. "Well, lets get going." The group nodded. Why do I have the feeling this isn't going to be ok, Katrina thought..  
  
  
Author's Note: Well now its in the children's hands to save the world. Now for Chapter 7..  



	6. Iifa Tree Journey, Part 1

Disclaimer: I do not own FF9.  
  
Chapter 6-The Iifa Tree Journey, Part 1  
Katrina's P.O.V  
  
The air was bitterly cold and the wind was whipping across our faces. It has been exactly one hour after we left Lindblum Grand Castle. Zane was being even more arrogant than usual. Whenever we got in a fight with a monster, Zane would take over and nearly kill us all with his orders. He insisted in doing everything for himself and by himself.  
  
"Zane, this has got to stop!" I yelled after Zane tried to get us killed for the 5th time.  
  
"What has got to stop?" Zane asked, trying to act innocent.  
  
"Your arrogance is going to get us killed, Zane!"  
  
"Whatever, Kattie. If you don't remember, Zidane asked me to be the leader." When I heard Zane use my nickname, I snarled loudly.  
  
"Don't you whatever me, Zane. I'll wipe that silly grin off your face."  
  
"Like I have to listen to you?"   
  
In a instant, I swung my hand towards his face, backhanding him. He fell to the ground and glared at me.  
  
"What did you do that for?" he asked, obliviously angry.  
  
"I did it to knock some sense into you. Now if you don't mind, I have a team to lead."  
  
I turned around to face the others. They nodded solemnly and walked ahead. I followed after them slowly, with Zane trailing behind me. Soon, we entered Qu's Marsh. Everyone was pretty much tired then, so I told the rest to wait near the entrance. Meanwhile, I went off to talk to Quale to find out some information.  
  
"Excuse me, Mr. Quale. But can you tell me where I can find Fossil Roo?" I asked.  
  
"It beyond the pond. The road is covered with grass so might have hard time finding it."  
  
"Thank you, Quale."  
  
I walked out of the house-like building and saw Zane. He was waiting by the steps apparently for me, I guess.  
  
"I thought I told you to wait by the gate." I scolded.  
  
"They are fine. Besides I needed to talk to you, Kattie."  
  
"Fine. What is there to talk about?"  
  
"I wanted to say sorry about before. I was being disgraceful.."  
  
"No you weren't. Besides I shouldn't have backhanded you."  
  
"So what did Quale tell you?"  
  
"He said that the entrance to Fossil Roo is around here. But the road is covered with grass so we'll have to look a bit further."  
  
"Ok. I'll go get the others."  
  
We wondered in the grass for about 5 minutes before finding the entrance. Funny thing about it was that there was no frogs around. Not that this was unusual. Quale probably ate them all, I thought. We walked down the stairs until he reached the gate that was blocking the entrance.  
  
These bars are rusted in some places, I thought again as I unsheathed The Dragon's Hair spear from its sheathe on my back. I thrust my spear at the bars, chipping bits and pieces off carefully. One of the bars popped off within the first few thrusts. The hole was big enough for one of us to slip through carefully. I went through first and helped Zane pull Alicia through. When everyone got through the bars safely, I checked the map. Zane looked around slowly before walking forward.  
  
"Everyone stay close to Kattie and me." he ordered.  
  
"My feet hurt.." Alicia complained.  
  
I turned around, picked Alicia up and sat her on my head.  
  
"Better?"  
  
"Yes. Thank you, Kattie."  
  
We entered the main chambers and looked around.  
  
"It looks like the Gargan's aren't here."  
  
"How are we supposed to get out of here, Kattie?" Zinnia asked.  
  
"We'll just have to go on foot." Everyone nodded in agreement. Soon, we were walking along in the stream of Fossil Roo. Once we reached the crossroads of Fossil Roo, I checked the map again.  
  
"What does it say, Kattie?" Zane asked, after putting Vivielo down.  
  
"The exit is to the right, through some tunnels."  
  
"Ok."  
  
We started over to the right and had barely walked 1 mile into the tunnel, when I sensed something.  
  
"Get down!" I yelled.  
  
"What's wrong, Katrina?" Zinnia asked.  
  
"Be quiet and get against the wall."  
  
"Kattie, what's wrong?" Alicia whispered.  
  
"I don't know what it is yet, but its getting closer."  
  
A worm-like monster crawled on the wall above us. I covered Alicia's mouth so she wouldn't scream. Everyone was still.  
  
"Zane, take them out of here." I whispered.  
  
"What about you?"  
  
"That monster is surely going to catch us if we attempt to escape, so I'm going to distract it."  
  
"But Kattie…"  
  
"That is an order, Zane. Now go!" I yelled, as I took Alicia off my head and handed her to Zinnia. Zane nodded, picked Vivielo up and walked off with the others. I gripped my spear tightly as I started off to the left. What am I thinking? As I entered the main cavern, I saw it. Ralvuimago. The gargant eater. I guess it sensed my presence because it spat poison at me. I jumped to the side, barely missing it. I held my spear in front of me, preparing to use Dragon Breath. Flare energy begin to swirl around me as I prayed to the Dragon gods in my head.  
  
"Dragon Breath!" I screamed as a invisible Dragon's head poured fire onto Ralvuimago. The monster curled up in agony and bared its fangs at me.  
  
"Katrina, look out!" I turned my head to see Zane waving at me, which was a bad mistake. Ralvuimago hissed and launched itself at me. My eye's widened.  
  
"Stellar Circle 9!" Zane called out. Swirls of light/flare energy engulfed Ralvuimago, driving it away.  
  
"Zane, you saved me.."  
  
"Your hurt, Kattie." He pointed to a deep gash on my right leg.  
  
"Its just a scratch, Zane."  
  
"Kattie..let me patch you up, ok?" I nodded, a little too tired to protest. He ripped off a piece of his shirt, reached into his backpack and took out some duct tape. Then he applied it to my wound and tapped it up.  
  
"There, good as new."  
  
"Thank you, Zane."  
  
"Can you stand?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Let's go then." Zane helped me up. Soon we were on the Outer Continent. I checked the map again.  
  
"Conde Petie is straight ahead. We'll have to climb up the surrounding cliffs but we should be ok." Everyone nodded. I reached into my backpack and took out the rope. I climbed up first and slung the rope over one of the roots supporting Conde Petie so that it hung down in front of Zane and the others. Zane helped Alicia onto the rope and signaled for me to pull her up. This process continued for 10 minutes.  
  
However, I couldn't help but worry about Zidane and the others…  



	7. Iifa Tree Journey, Part 2

Disclaimer: I don't own FF9. So please don't sue me. All you'll get is my sister's hamster.  
  
  
Chapter 7-The Iifa Tree Journey, Part 2  
Katrina's P.O.V  
  
We arrived in the town of Conde Petie in the evening. We were quite tired now, having walked over 10 miles. The dwarfs didn't greet us at the gate. Strange. But I wasn't going to complain or anything. I checked with the innkeeper and collapsed onto the bed, like the others. The dwarfs must have been in bed or something because the place was nearly deserted. I closed my eyes, slowly falling asleep..  
  
The next morning, I arose first, making sure that not to disturb anyone. The dwarfs were busy unlike last night. I walked around the town making sure that I was familiar with it. Finally I got to the exit. They were both guarded by twin dwarfs.  
  
"Sorry, I can let ya' though." They both said.  
  
"How am I supposed to get to the Iifa Tree?" I asked, a little bit annoyed at this point.  
  
"You havta' get married."  
  
"Uh..married?"  
  
"Yes, ma'am." I turned away and walked back to the inn, slowly. This would be a problem. There was not enough boys to 'marry' them all. As I walked into the inn, everyone stared at me.  
  
"Ok guys. We'll have a little problem getting out of here."  
  
"What's the problem, Kat?" Zane asked while stretching himself out on the bed again.  
  
"We'll have to get married."  
  
"WHAT?!" Everyone yelled.  
  
"But we do not have enough boys." Zinnia whined.  
  
"I know. I have a plan though. Get enough rest while we're here. We leave tonight." Everyone nodded and stretched out on the bed as instructed. That night, I motioned for everyone to follow me over to where the weapon's shop was. Then I went ahead and checked for any guards along the way to the Mountain Path. There were none, so I waved my hand slightly to make the others come to me.  
  
We had climbed up several vines up to the roots of the Iifa Tree. Soon after 2 hours, we arrived at the trunk. Cyrus was there in his brown cloak waiting for us. He smiled at me and the others warmly.  
  
"Shall we go?" He asked calmly.  
  
"Yeah. Lets." No sooner than we had started up the roots, a blizzard kicked up. We were pressed against the trunk from the blinding winds. I turned to Cyrus while brushing the hair out of my face.  
  
"We cant risk losing the others in this storm!" I yelled over the noise of the wind.  
  
"I know, but I cant think of anything right now!" He yelled back. I turned around to the others who were huddled together. Then I got a idea and took off my backpack. I opened it and pulled out a rope. This would be long enough for everyone, I thought. I motioned for Zane to come over first and tied the rope around his waist. Then I did the same with Alicia and the others. After that, I tied the rest of the rope around my waist and nodded to Cyrus. He walked forward slowly, so I and the rest of the group could keep up.  
  
After a few short minutes, we came across a weird looking place near the branches. I couldn't quite figure out what it was so I asked Cyrus.  
  
"What is that?"  
  
"It's a place that was once sealed. Someone dangerous was once here."  
  
"Who was sealed up here and when?" Cyrus walked up closer to the area and nearly stumbled over a partially fried skull. Zinnia and Alicia gasped suddenly.  
  
"Whoever was here and freed this thing died a nasty death. The skull is nearly burned through."  
  
"Who would have enough power to do this?"  
  
"Good question." Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. That couldn't be, I thought.  
  
"Cyrus, I have a feeling that used to be were Vanessa was sealed."  
  
"Seriously?" I nodded solemnly.  
  
Meanwhile, unknown to anyone, Vanessa stood watch over the Mountain Path right before the Iifa Tree exit. Just keep leading me to the crystal, she thought. Your playing out your own death, children. Just keep leading me. She giggled with glee at the thought of absolute power. She leaned forward beginning to fly off in the Iifa Tree's direction. She would intercept them when the time is right.  
  
We stayed at the sealing point for a while, because of the nasty Magic Barrier ahead.  
  
"Zinnia, Alicia. Do you think you can disable that barrier ahead?" asked Cyrus.  
  
"Sure." They both piped up.  
  
"Kat, go with them to make sure they don't get in trouble or incase Vanessa decides to drop in." Cyrus ordered. I nodded and motioned for them to follow me up the branches. When we reached the barrier, I stopped and unsheathed my Dragon's Hair spear from its sheathe on my back. I didn't sense anything, yet, but I wasn't going to let my guard down. Zinnia and Alicia kneeled down facing each other and joined hands. The spot where their horn was supposed to be, glowed a light pink. Then they began to pray in their hearts causing the barrier to break up a bit.  
  
This continued on for about 5 minutes when all of a sudden the barrier broke. I'm not sure what it meant but Zinnia and Alicia did.  
  
"Are you guys, ok?" I asked softly.  
  
"Kat, we didn't break the barrier. Someone else did." Zinnia whispered. I could tell they were both afraid, but of what? It wasn't until I heard a evil chuckle that I realized who broke the barrier. I turned around slowly, only to see Trance Vanessa floating a few inches away from the branches. It was oblivious I wasn't the only one who saw her because Zane, Cyrus and Vivielo came running up the branches.  
  
"Zane, Zinnia, Alicia. Go now! The crystal cant be far!" I yelled. They nodded and ran off ahead. Trance Vanessa only smirked. Cyrus unsheathed his Ragnarok sword and held it a few inches in front of his face.  
  
"..Stupid fools. Your only delaying your death." Vanessa muttered.  
  
"I will not let you destroy Gaia! Now give up!" I yelled.  
  
"You don't get it. I am twice as powerful as you. I can kill you in one hi-"  
  
"You stole that power, you witch!" Cyrus interrupted.  
  
"Now I'm a witch. Ooh, lovely insults you have there. Let me enlighten you on your situation. You are on the branches of the Tree of Life about to be killed by me. Sad isn't it?" Cyrus didn't want to hear anymore. His sword trembled with the power of lightning (Shock) as he threw it a Vanessa. Vanessa rose her hand and caught it then threw it away in a different direction.  
  
"Cyrus, were not going to get anywhere if she reflects magic away." I whispered. He nodded and ran down the branch. Trance Vanessa followed him surprisingly. She had forgotten all about me. Which was a good thing. I ran up the branches to where Zinnia, Alicia, and Zane were. Zinnia was looking around for it desperately. Alicia picked up what looked like a crystal.  
  
"Alicia, let me see that." She handed it to me slowly. I examined it carefully. It was the crystal they talked about in legends.  
  
"This is it, guys!" Zinnia and Zane came over quickly.  
  
"So what do we do now?" they asked.  
  
"Um..pray for Gaia to be restored and remove the mist. Hurry we don't have much time! Trance Vanessa is here!" They nodded and set off to praying again. Meanwhile, Cyrus wasn't doing too well. Vanessa had successfully wounded him using a Flare Star spell. He continued running down the branches despite his injury. Cyrus tripped over a small root and skidded down into the trunk area.  
  
He couldn't pick himself back up fast enough, however. Vanessa grabbed by the collar and pulled him up. She was on the ground now, and basically a easy target.  
  
"See, I told you. Only delaying your death. Now you shall die!" I rocketed through the air screaming, "Spear!" and landed from it looked like right on top of Vanessa. A flash of light sent me over the side of the trunk onto a lower platform. It knocked the air out of me easily. When the light cleared away, Vanessa wasn't there. However, Kuja was. He shook his head and stood up carefully. Cyrus looked over the side at me slowly.  
  
"Where is she?" Kuja asked softly.  
  
"Down there." Cyrus pointed downward at the platform.  
  
"Where's Vanessa?" A figure landed onto the platform I was on. She smoothed her hair quickly, lips curled up into a snarl. She began to walk slowly over to my unconscious body. A red beam shot through the air and hit Vanessa's wrist. She winced in pain and looked up to see Kuja floating right above her, in his trance form.  
  
"You cant win, Vanessa."  
  
"I don't care. I will always live and exist in this world."  
  
"We'll see about that." Kuja barely gave Vanessa a chance to protect herself from his Ultima attack. She was blown over the edge and down into the roots of the tree. I doubt she survived that. Really I do. Cyrus helped me up as Kuja floated up to where the others were. He nodded to them solemnly. The threat was over for now. We returned to Lindblum Grand Castle in just a few short hours. Zidane and the rest of our parents grabbed and hugged us.  
  
"See, I knew you could do it," Zidane whispered in my ear as Freya, Sr. Fratley and I left for Bermecia.  
  
Gaia had survived another crisis.  
  
But it isn't over yet…….  
  
Author's Note: Oh yes, there is a second part. This time the tables turn as Vanessa becomes an ally and Katrina becomes the enemy.  



End file.
